Harry's Sixth Year and Beyond
by HPGREYSFAN2291
Summary: What if Sirius had not died? What if Harry loved someone who was not Ginny? What if Harry's family was not as wonderful as they are made out to be? This story answers these questions, and more, about Harry's life and adventures. It starts out at the end of 5th year at the battle at the Ministry and continues onward from there.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is a story I have been working on for a while ever since I read the chapter in OOTP where Sirius dies. I am far ahead in chapters, so there will be at least 1 new chapter a day. I really hope you enjoy this story. There will be plenty of twists and turns. :) Enjoy and review!**

Ch.1

"The Flustered Minister"

"_You will lose everything, Harry Potter."_

Harry lay on the cold, black, sanded stone floor of the Ministry. Looking up into the red, fiery eyes of his arch nemesis, Harry closed his eyes so that Voldemort couldn't invade his mind for the second time that night.

Suddenly, the Ministry fires roared to life, and people came flooing in. Harry, Dumbledore, and Voldemort looked over as the crowd of people drew nearer. One of those people was the Minister himself, Cornelius Fudge. As he caught a glimpse of Voldemort, he froze right where he stood, jaw dropped.

Voldemort disapparated, and silence filled the Atrium. Then, one of the Aurors screamed, and everyone around began asking the other, "Did you see him? Did you? They weren't lying".

Dumbledore helped Harry to his feet. The moment he stood though, he swayed, almost falling. Dumbledore caught him by the shoulder and steadied him. Once he knew Harry was okay, Dumbledore took his hand away, turned around to face Fudge, and said, "Cornelius?"

Fudge came out of his reverie and looked around to see who had said his name. Catching sight of Dumbledore, he yelled, "Dumbledore!" He marched over to him and then proceeded to ask, "What is the meaning of all this, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore stood before Cornelius, calm as ever. He stared at Cornelius for another second, and then said, "Cornelius, tonight, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters invaded the Ministry in search of a particular prophecy. You will find, if you go down to the Death Room of the Department of Mysteries, several Death Eaters captured and tied."

Fudge, as flustered as ever, began stammering and looking around. He could not find one word to utter in response to Dumbledore. When his eyes landed on Harry, Fudge suddenly found his voice, and asked, "Harry? Wha- How? Dumbledore, explain this!"

"I already have, Cornelius. I am sending Harry back to Hogwarts right now, and then you and I can discuss this further."

Dumbledore turned away from Fudge, waved his wand, and then walked back over to Harry. On his way, he picked up a piece of what once was part of a statue, pointed his wand at it, and said, "_Portus."_

There was a flash of blue light, and then nothing. Seeing this take place, Fudge then said, "Now see here, Dumbledore, I cannot have you making unauthorized Portkeys in front of the Minister!"

Dumbledore turned around to Fudge and simply said, "Cornelius, I need to get Harry back. Just wait a moment."

Dumbledore turned back to Harry and said, "Take this, Harry. I'll be along in a few minutes." Harry took the Portkey and looked at Dumbledore. He was confused. Where was Dumbledore sending him?

Before he could even ask though, the Portkey began to vibrate and glow, and then Harry felt that all too familiar hook behind his navel. In the next second, he was gone.

Harry reappeared in Dumbledore's office. He fell to the ground, allowing the now useless Portkey to roll away. Harry sat there, with his hands holding him up from behind, looking around the circular office: all of Dumbledore's instruments on tables or shelves; Fawkes, resting on his perch; the Sorting Hat resting on one of the top shelves near Dumbledore's desk; and the Sword of Gryffindor gleaming in its case. Most of the portraits were now awake, everyone staring at Harry, wondering what was going on. Harry pushed himself up onto his feet and gazed out the window onto the Hogwarts' grounds. Dawn was nearing; a little strip of sunlight could just be seen on the horizon.

Harry stood, by the round table in the middle of everything, tired than he had ever been. Barely holding himself up, he clutched the desk for support and tried to keep his eyes open. It had been a very, long night. He had put all of his friends into incredible danger. All because he, Harry, had succumbed to Voldemort's game and really thought Sirius was in trouble. _"Oh crap," _he thought. Sirius. What about Sirius? He didn't see him fighting, but then again, everything was a blur. Was he alive? Was he dead? Sickened by the thought, Harry put both hands down on the table and then his head. He couldn't even think about the possibility of Sirius dead. To distract his thoughts, he walked over to Fawkes and laid his hand on the phoenix's head.

All of a sudden, the grate in the fireplace came to life with emerald flames, and seconds later, Dumbledore appeared. He walked out of the fireplace, and immediately, applause and cheering filled the room. The portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses smiled because Dumbledore was back to where he belonged. Dumbledore turned to look at Harry, smiled, and said, "You know, he doesn't allow many people to do that."

Harry smiled slightly and continued to pet Fawkes. Dumbledore walked over to where Harry was. He looked at how tired Harry was, smiled again, and then said, "Harry, I know you are tired beyond imagination, but I would like to speak to you for a few minutes."

Dumbledore then gestured over to the chair directly in front of his desk and said, "Please."

Harry stopped petting Fawkes, made his way over to the chair, and sat down. _"Ahh, what relief!"_ he thought. It felt really good to Harry to be able to sit down. Dumbledore walked over to his desk, sat down, and clasped his hands together. A few seconds passed, and then Dumbledore said, "Harry, I first want to apologize to you for once again putting you into danger. See, I thought that by distancing myself from you, Voldemort might not learn so quickly of the connection that you and he share. Clearly, I was wrong, on numerous occasions. An old man's mistakes."

Harry looked at Dumbledore, slightly confused. What connection? What did Dumbledore mean by a connection between him and Voldemort? Whatever the answer was, Harry wasn't going to get it at that moment, for Dumbledore continued, "Before I tell you about that, I have a second thing for you."

At that moment, Dumbledore looked up, away from Harry's gaze, to the door. He then said, "You can come in now."

Now, Harry was extremely confused. Who was it that Dumbledore wanted him to see? Harry heard the door close behind him, and a familiar voice rang out, "Hey there, Prongslet."

Harry's eyes widen. There was only one person that called Harry that. Harry turned around in his seat, and there, standing just a few feet away from him, was Sirius, smiling widely. He opened his arms wide, and before he knew it, Harry was up, out of the chair, running toward Sirius. Harry launched himself into Sirius, hooking his arms around his neck. Sirius, likewise, wrapped his arms around Harry, placing one of his hands on the top of Harry's head. It was a few minutes, of standing and hugging, until Harry uttered, "Sirius…"

After a few minutes, both broke away and walked back to Dumbledore's desk, Sirius having his arm over his godson's shoulder. Harry sat back down, Sirius beside him, noticing that Dumbledore had got out the Pensieve. Dumbledore sat behind the Pensieve, smiling broadly at the fact that Harry was once again smiling. Then, Dumbledore said, "Harry, I am going to show this memory to you, explain its meaning, and then you can go head off to bed."

Dumbledore swirled his wand in the misty, sliver vapor. As if on cue, a small figure of a much younger Professor Trelawney appeared out of the basin, and said, in a grave and mystical tone, _"The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

The figure that was Professor Trelawney disappeared into the basin. All was silent; Harry stared at the Pensieve and then at an empty desk as Dumbledore carried it back to its cabinet. He couldn't say anything. Dumbledore made his way back to his chair, sat down, and simply looked at Harry. Harry looked into Dumbledore's face, waiting for him to give the answers. As if obliging, Dumbledore opened his mouth, and spoke, "Harry, what this prophecy means is that you have to fight Voldemort. However, the thing is, only one of you can live."

Harry stared at Dumbledore, all of this a little surreal. He then turned his head to look at Sirius. Sirius was hunched over, hand on his mouth, eyes closed. Harry turned back to Dumbledore, and then said, "So, _neither can live while the other survives…_ you mean, it's either me or Voldemort? One of us dies?"

Dumbledore nodded. Sirius was still looking at the ground, only this time his eyes were open, with tears streaming down. Harry looked away, thinking. Just a few moments ago, he was smiling. He had his Padfoot. He had his godfather. But now, that might not matter? Harry leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. Dumbledore saw this, smiled, and said, "I think it's time for bed, Harry. I want you to go up to Madam Pomfrey, have her mend your wounds, and then, if you feel strong enough, go back to your dormitory and sleep. I need to talk to Sirius alone."

Sirius's head shot up, looking at Dumbledore. Then, Harry got up and began to walk to the door. As he opened it, he turned back to look at Dumbledore, who, in turn, was looking at him. Sirius, however, returned to looking at the floor. Harry walked through the door, shut it, and left Dumbledore's office.


	2. The Pensieve

**Author's Note: Hello all! Here is another installment to my story. And I will admit, being a guy and all (lol), that I had tears coming down my eyes while I was writing this. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this new chapter. And please review. It is a joy to hear from readers and their comments. And I hope you all have a wonderful holiday! :)**

**BTW, I know I did not mention it at the top of the first chapter, but I do not own Harry Potter or its characters. That would be the awesome and creative Jo Rowling. **

Ch.2

"The Pensieve"

Silence reigned in Dumbledore's office the moment Harry left the room. Dumbledore sat at his desk, still staring at the door that Harry went through. He then shifted his gaze to where Sirius sat. Hunched over in his seat, Sirius had his hand up to his eyes, keeping Dumbledore from seeing his face. All that went through Sirius's mind was how little time he and Harry had spent together: holding Harry in the hospital, looking down at those green eyes that were so Lily. He remembered watching Harry riding the toy broomstick around James and Lily's house, smiling at the one year old as he yelped for joy. And then, he remembered that night, of hearing that his best friend and wife were dead, of being taken to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit, of realizing that the one person who needed him had to live now with people who hated him. The tears were gradually coming down Sirius's face, still hidden from Dumbledore's view.

Dumbledore continued to stare at Sirius with a sad smile. Then, breaking the silence, Dumbledore asked, "Sirius, are you okay?"

Sirius finally looked up at Dumbledore, tears coming down more frequently. He could not find words that adequately expressed how he felt at this moment. All he could do was look at Dumbledore with a sad face and have tears continue to fall down. Then, as if words found their way to his mouth, Sirius spoke, "Wha-How-Why- Why does it have to be this way? I mean, Dumbledore, he's only 15. For all intents and purposes, he's my little boy. I made a promise to my best friend and his wife that I'd look after their son. What am I supposed to do now? Just watch him die?"

Dumbledore looked at Sirius once more, then stood up, and walked over to the cabinet. Sirius watched and wondered what Dumbledore was doing. He then saw Dumbledore pull out a big basin, turn around, and walk with it back to his desk. Instead of sitting down, however, he continued onward around his desk and away from it. He walked over to the window, peered out over the now sunlit grounds by the morning sun, and then asked, "Sirius, when you first met Harry, in the Shrieking Shack that is, what were your first thoughts of him?"

The tears stopped, and Sirius looked around to Dumbledore. He was now confused. What kind of question is that? Of everything that Sirius had just said, Dumbledore chooses to ask that question. Sirius sat there, going back to that moment, trying to figure out how he felt when he saw his godson all grown-up.

After a few minutes, as if a light bulb had just lit up in his head, he looked back up to Dumbledore, and said, "The first thing I thought when I saw Harry was that he looked very much like James. Except for his eyes. Lily's eyes. Then I thought that he not only looked like James, but he also acted like him. Acted out of anger, inquisitive. But, when me and Remus were about to kill Pettigrew, he stopped us and said to let him have the Dementor's Kiss. Like Lily, he is kind but firm. Then, the last thing I thought was how unbelievably brave he was, like James and Lily, and me too. But then, I also thought about how much he's had to go through without me, and I swear, it took all I had to remain strong and not break down in front of him. He's strong, he's filled with courage, and he puts others before himself. He doesn't want much."

Sirius finished and continued to look at Dumbledore watching the world outside. At last, Dumbledore turned around and smiled. He began to walk back to his desk, took his seat, and placed each arm beside the Pensieve. Sirius turned back around in his chair, facing Dumbledore, wondering what the point to all this was. Finally, Dumbledore said, "Your exactly right, Sirius. That was the whole point I wanted you to see. Harry is brave. He is brave because of everything that he's gone through. Even here at Hogwarts, I've watched him as he dealt with those who were not so kindly to him. Granted, he did get into trouble, but he knew from the start how to defend himself. He knew how to stand up for himself and for his friends. All because of what he went through, Harry knew what to do."

Taking it all in, Sirius simply sat there. He never looked at it from that perspective. His godson was strong. He was able to take care of himself when it came to confrontation. Sirius nodded his head, in agreement with what Dumbledore said. After a few moments of silence, Sirius said, "You're right, Albus. I just never saw it that way. I think I still picture him as that little newborn lying in my arms, looking up at me, while James stood nearby."

Dumbledore couldn't help but smile now. Then, as if it just hit him, Dumbledore stood up and went over to a glass cabinet. Inside it were little, small phials with a silvery white substance in them. Sirius recognized them as phial containing memories, most of them probably Dumbledore's. Dumbledore searched for one phial in particular. Once he found it, he exclaimed, "Aaah, there it is!" grabbed it from near the back, and returned with it to his seat. He set it down beside the Pensieve and looked up at Sirius, who had a very perplexed look on his face.

Dumbledore said, "Well, Sirius, as independent as Harry is to us, we cannot go on thinking that he is entirely independent. Indeed, Harry still has more growing up to do, and he is going to need us both, especially you, there alongside him."

Sirius nodded once again his agreement with Dumbledore. There was no way now that Sirius was leaving, not when Harry needed him the most. Sirius remembered his and James' years at Hogwarts, and while they were the best years of his life, they also felt like an emotional roller-coaster. Harry, Sirius knew, was headed into his own roller-coaster, not just with Voldemort but also with life.

Dumbledore stared at Sirius, glad to see he understood everything. Then, out of nowhere, Dumbledore asked, "Sirius, how far are you willing to go to protect Harry?"

Once again, Sirius looked taken aback by the question. Why was Dumbledore asking this? Had he not been clear before on how far he was willing to go for Harry? Without giving this any thought at all, Sirius said, "Albus, I would go to any means necessary to protect him. I _do not_ want to lose him."

Dumbledore stared, smiling evermore at Sirius's devotion. However, the smile soon faded and was replaced by a sad face. Sirius grew confused again, wondering why the change of expression. As if he was using Legilimency, Dumbledore proceeded to say what the whole meeting was about, "Sirius, the time is coming fast when protecting Harry by his side will be an impossibility."

Sirius grew even more confused and anxious at what Dumbledore was trying to say. Seeing the look on his face, Dumbledore continued, "Sirius, the time is coming when Voldemort will begin to hunt Harry. And when he does, he will also go after those closest to him, like you. That is why, when the time comes, you will need to go into hiding once more."

When those words left Dumbledore's mouth, Sirius's eyes bulged out; he stood up from his chair, and exclaimed, "Not bloody likely! I am not leaving his side, no matter what!"

Dumbledore, calm as ever, looked up into Sirius's eyes and saw the panic and concern. He continued, "Sirius, do you love Harry?"

"More than anything else in this world, Albus."

"Then, like any good and loving parent, sometimes you have to let them go. You have to let them go and do what they are meant to do."

Sirius stared long and hard at Dumbledore. At one point, he sat back down in the chair, turned his eyes to the floor, hunched over, elbows on his knees. Being honest with himself, he knew that Dumbledore was right. He sat back up and leaned back in his chair. He sighed heavily and nodded, accepting what must come to pass.

Responding with a nod, Dumbledore stood up, grabbed the phial, and uncorked it. Looking at Sirius, he said, "However, there is a way that you can protect him from afar. If you would please, Sirius, stand."

Doing as he was asked, Sirius stood, unsure of what was happening. Dumbledore emptied the contents of the phial into the basin. As they swirled around, Dumbledore said, "After you."

Sirius stepped forward to the Pensieve, bent low over it, and plunged his face into the basin. Immediately, he felt his feet leave the floor, falling through space, and then landing on the floor of a room that he had been in many times in the past.

It was the Potters' living room of where they lived in Godric's Hollow. As Sirius's eyes scanned the room, he felt tears begin to form. He, and now Dumbledore who landed right beside him, stood in a corner of the room by a couch. There were two couches, on opposite walls of the room, with a coffee table in between. A fireplace stood at the far end of the room from where they stood, with sliding doors on the other, on Sirius and Dumbledore's right. A television set stood on the left side of the fireplace. A much younger Dumbledore was on the couch nearest them, apparently waiting for something. Then, two sets of footsteps were heard outside of the room, drawing closer. Suddenly, two people appeared in the doorway that made Sirius immediately stifle a sob: James and Lily.

Lily walked over to the couch opposite the younger Dumbledore, while James closed the doors, an antennae sticking out of his back pocket. Once he closed the doors, he pulled on the antennae and out came a baby monitor. He walked over to Lily, sat down beside her, and grabbed her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. After looking at her for a second, James then turned to the younger Dumbledore and said, "Thanks for coming, Albus. We really needed to talk to you."

"Anytime, you two. Anytime. How's Harry, Lily?" he asked her.

She smiled brightly, obviously proud of her son. "He walked today, Albus. For the first time! Right into James' arms!"

James beamed at those words, proud of his son. Sirius took one look at his best friend and could not hold the tears that wanted to burst forth. His legs became like rubber, and he had to grab onto Dumbledore's shoulder to keep from falling to the floor sobbing.

James looked at Lily again, who then gave him a nod. He sighed deeply, looked to the floor for a moment, and then back up to Dumbledore.

"Albus, we've been discussing things about the future. In case Lily and I don't make it. As far as everything we have, materially, it goes to Harry. But," his voice breaking, "as far as Harry goes…" He looked away from Dumbledore and Lily. He couldn't stand the thought of him possibly having to leave his son. He squeezed Lily's hand to continue, as he wiped away the tears that were falling down his cheeks.

Lily continued, "As far as Harry goes, we do not want him at my sister's. We want Sirius to take him. Not just as his legal guardian, but we want him to adopt Harry. If something happens and we can't be here for Harry, we…"

Her voice was breaking as well and trailing off. James squeezed her hand, and she dug her face into his shoulder. James continued for her, with more confidence now, "If we can't be here for our son, then we want Sirius to be. Not just as a guardian, but as his parent. I trust my best friend that he'll never let our memories, if we don't make it, be forgotten by our son."

At these words from his best friend, Sirius completely and utterly lost it. He fell to the floor, on his knees, hands over his eyes, crying. Lucky for them, silence filled the room as James began to have tears fall down his face again. Once Sirius calmed down, he wiped the rest of his tears and stood back up. Then, the younger Dumbledore asked, "So, you want me, when the time is right, to perform one of the most ancient pieces of magic there is: adoption?"

James looked up at Dumbledore with the most pleading look and replied, "Yes."

Dumbledore sat there on the couch, pondering a few things. Finally, he said smiling, "Of course I will. It is very advanced, the potion, and the spell just as equally, but I can do it."

Dumbledore smiled as James and Lily rose to hug Dumbledore. Meanwhile, the present Dumbledore put his hand on Sirius' shoulder, and said, "We're done." Both of them rose through darkness once again and landed back in Dumbledore's office. Sirius continued to sniff and wipe away tears from his eyes, while Dumbledore picked up the Pensieve and took it back over to the cabinet. Sirius sat back down, wiping away remaining tears.

"I'm so sorry I fell apart; I just couldn't hold it in when I saw him smile like that."

Dumbledore walked back over to his desk and sat down. He smiled at Sirius once more, and then said, "It's all right. You miss him. Both of them."

He paused for a moment, giving Sirius the chance to make his vision of Dumbledore clear again. "Both of you do."

Sirius smiled at him, knowing that he meant him and Harry. Suddenly, it all began to sink in. "So, by my adopting Harry, according to the ancient magic, I'll be able to protect him?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. When Harry is in danger, the magic will let you know where he is. You will have two options: go and help him, or, if it's too risky, perform magic to keep him safe. I'll teach you the spell."

Sirius nodded and said, "Okay."

Silence reigned in the office once more. Sirius was thinking. Apparently, he was smiling, for Dumbledore asked a few minutes later, "What is making you so happy?"

"It was good to see them, alive, even if it was just a memory."

Dumbledore smiled widely, and then whispered, "I know, I know." Silence prevailed for another minute or so, and then Sirius stood up and said, "I think I'm going to go see my boy, now, if that's alright with you? I just need to be with him right now."

Dumbledore nodded, and said, "Yes. I think that sounds like a good idea."

Sirius smiled, nodded at Dumbledore, and turned around to walk to the door. As he reached his hand for the handle, it suddenly struck Sirius: he didn't know the password to enter Gryffindor Tower.

Turning around to face Dumbledore, Dumbledore had his answer ready, as Sirius looked at him with a pleading face, "_Fortis_, Sirius. That's the password. It means brave".

Sirius nodded and smiled. He said, "Thanks, Albus," and turned back to the door. Before he stepped out, though, Sirius heard Dumbledore call after him, "Sirius?!"

He stepped back in and looked at Dumbledore, who said, "Along with asking Harry about the adoption and telling him that you are a free man, I would also ask of you to tell him that he must go back to his aunt and uncle's this summer, only for a little while though."

When Dumbledore finished, Sirius had a disheartened look on his face. He was hoping that Dumbledore would allow Harry to leave the Dursleys once and for all and begin to live with him. However, as Sirius looked past Dumbledore's half-moon glasses and into his eyes, he soon realized that Harry's return to the Dursleys one last time was necessary. Letting out a heavy sigh once more, Sirius nodded to Dumbledore, smiled, and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.


	3. Something To Fight For

**A/N: Hello! I thought I might give you all a special gift: a new chapter! Enjoy and review! :)**

Ch.3

"Something to Fight For"

Harry walked up the Grand Staircase to Gryffindor Tower. He was tired, more tired than he ever felt. When he was in the Hospital Wing, allowing Madam Pomfrey to tend to his wounds, he could barely hold himself up. If it wasn't for the fact that he did not want to stay in there, he would've fell asleep immediately on the bed. Even now, as he continued his slow walk, Harry just wanted to collapse onto the stairs and fall asleep. But, he was almost to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Almost there to his bed.

As he took his last steps onto the landing in front of the Fat Lady, he noticed that she was awake and attentive. Harry walked up closer to her, making sure that she caught him in her line of vision. Once she had seen him, the Fat Lady proceeded to ask, "Is it true? Is Dumbledore back?"

Not really in the mood to give an answer, Harry just nodded. The Fat lady smiled widely, and then said, "Well, in that case, you can go on in. No need to give me the password."

Harry smiled a little, as the portrait swung open. He walked into the Common Room and looked around. The fireplace, which was now out, was over on his right, along with the couch; ahead of Harry was the way to the boys' dormitories; on his left, a few people were lounging in chairs, reading _The Daily Prophet_ or talking to friends; and finally, in the far right corner, Harry saw Ron and Hermione at the table by the window, talking. As soon as they saw Harry, they got up from their chairs and walked over to him.

"Hey. Where were you? We've been everywhere looking for you," said Ron.

"Harry, are you okay?" asked Hermione, noticing that Harry looked a bit off.

Harry simply looked at his best friends. Seeing the look of concern in both their eyes, Harry wanted to tell them everything that he just heard in Dumbledore's office. However, all he really wanted to do was go up and lay in his four-poster. He was too exhausted to explain things to Ron and Hermione and extrapolate on the meaning of it all.

Harry sighed. "I'm going up to bed. I'll see you guys later."

Harry then proceeded to the entrance of the boys' dormitories and walked up the stairs. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, worry and concern etched even more into their faces. They walked back to the table and sat down, allowing the silence to fill between them.

* * *

Harry pushed the door to the fifth year boys' dormitory open. He looked around the room, glad that Neville, Dean, and Seamus were elsewhere. He then locked his eyes onto his bed, walked over, and crashed onto his pillow, not bothering to pull the covers out and down. Feeling the warmth of his pillow beneath him, Harry stared up at the top of his bed. A few hours ago, the only thing on his mind was his bed. Now, after his talk with Dumbledore, his head was filled with so many thoughts that he didn't know which to focus on first.

As he laid there, Harry began thinking about Ron and Hermione. It killed him, not knowing how to tell them about the prophecy. How would they react? What would they say? He, Ron, and Hermione had been through a lot together. The fact that he had to go this alone, of fighting Voldemort and possibly dying, alone, scared him. Then, he thought of Sirius. How little time he has had to spend with his godfather, to know him. Sirius didn't even say anything to him after the prophecy.

But, Harry knew that Sirius wanted to say something. To say that he was too young, that he didn't deserve this. And then the fact that he has to go back to the Dursleys and not be with Sirius made him angry. Why couldn't Dumbledore just let him live with Sirius? He'd be happier with him, much happier than at the Dursleys.

But, the one thought that lingered in Harry's mind, as he laid on his bed, was what Professor Trelawney said in the Pensieve: _"For neither can live while the other survives."_ He always knew that one day he would have to fight Voldemort, but to possibly die?

Harry continued to lie on his bed, thinking about everything that just happened. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. Harry sighed, knowing full well who it was.

"Ron, I'm fine, okay! I just want to be left alone. It's not like I'm going to take my wand and use 'Avada Kedavra' on myself." However, when the door opened, it was not Ron who stood on the other side: it was Sirius.

"Well, that's good to know. Because honestly, I wouldn't know what to do without you, Prongslet," said Sirius, simultaneously closing the door and walking over to Harry's bed.

Harry simply smiled at his godfather. As Sirius reached the edge of the bed, Harry moved over so Sirius could sit. He wondered why Sirius was here, in his dormitory, when he had to walk past what must have been loads of people who thought he was a murderer. Sirius sat down beside Harry and looked at him, smiling. After a few seconds, Harry couldn't help but ask, "What?"

Bringing his hand up to rest on the back of Harry's neck, Sirius replied, "It's just, every time I look at you, you remind me of your dad. You just look so much like him, and after the talk I just had with Dumbledore, I just wanted to see you before I left."

Harry jerked his head up when he heard Dumbledore's name. He shifted on his bed, bringing his right leg up under him, facing Sirius. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, for hope ignited within him.

"Did Dumbledore change his mind? Can I come live with you?" said Harry, not even masking the excitement in his voice.

Sirius gazed into Harry's face. Seeing the hope and excitement in his godson only made Sirius regret the answer that came out of his mouth.

"No, Harry," replied Sirius.

Harry's face fell back into sadness, along with his head. His shoulders slumped, and he felt miserable and tired all over again. He thought for sure that Sirius could convince Dumbledore to let him finally live with his godfather.

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius could not take looking at Harry all miserable anymore. Lifting Harry's head to look at him, Sirius then said to him, "But, there is something I want to ask you. Something that would affect us both in a big way."

Harry stared at Sirius in confusion. Seeing Harry's inquisitive look, Sirius smiled and continued, "Harry, there is an ancient magic that allows witches and wizards to adopt someone into their family. It is complex, but it can be done. Harry, your mum and dad wanted me, in the event that they were no longer here, to adopt you. They wanted you to have someone who loved you and be there for you. Well, even though I've been in Azkaban for 12 years, I would still like to adopt you, Harry. I love you just as much as James and Lily did, and I want to be there for you always."

When Sirius finished, Harry looked to the ground once again, thinking. This was it. His chance at a somewhat normal family. Okay, yes, Sirius was already considered his family, but by making it official, he could leave the Dursleys once and for all and be happy. Harry raised his head and turned to Sirius who had his head down to the floor, waiting. With a grin spreading across his face, Harry asked, "So, how soon can we do it?"

Sirius jerked his head up and turned to Harry. The grin that he saw on his godson's face made him grin in return.

"You're sure?" Sirius asked.

Harry simply nodded his head, the grin still on his face. He then leaned forward, wrapped his arms around Sirius, and gave him a hug. Likewise, Sirius wrapped his arms around his godson and smiled. He then raised one of his hands, rested it atop Harry's head, and hugged him tighter. After a few seconds, tears began to fall down Sirius's face and onto Harry's shoulder. His godson said yes. Now, Sirius could protect him from anything, anywhere.

Both of them stayed like this for awhile, until Harry broke out of Sirius's arms, and asked, "Wait a minute. Doesn't the Ministry still think you're a fugitive? Aren't you still being chased?"

Sirius leaned back and stared at Harry. Seeing the confusing look once again on Harry's face, Sirius began to explain. "Dumbledore took care of that, Harry. I'm a free man now."

Harry still had the confused look on his face, not sure of what to make of that. Smiling, Sirius continued, "When Dumbledore left the school after they caught you and the rest of the DA, his focus was not entirely on the Order. Much of it was in finding Wormtail and bringing him in to free me."

The confused look was now gone from Harry's face. However, Harry simply continued to stare at Sirius, waiting for more. Obliging, Sirius continued, "You see, Harry, there is another bit of complex magic that allows one to find those who do not want to be found. Dumbledore had to use very advanced spells, plus know what Wormtail looked like, to be able to find him. Long story short, Dumbledore found him in the end, took him to the Ministry, and he confessed everything. Peter Pettigrew is now in Azkaban, under high security, for the remainder of his life."

"So, your name is cleared at the Ministry? You're free?" asked Harry.

Sirius nodded, smiling. "Yes, Prongslet. I am free."

This statement allowed Harry to breathe a sigh of relief. He no longer had to worry about Sirius sneaking out. He no longer had to wonder whether someone noticed Sirius. His godfather was free, and he was now able to go and live with him. Harry smiled widely at this thought.

Sirius noticed this, smiled himself, and then said, "You smile just like your dad. He always smiled widely, like he was the happiest person in the world. Which he was, but still…"

Sirius paused for a moment, laying his hand on the side of Harry's face. "It's just good to see you smiling. To see you happy."

At this, Harry leaned in once again and hugged Sirius tightly. Sirius reciprocated, and then said, "I love you, Prongslet."

"I love you too, Sirius," replied Harry.

Sirius continued to smile. Then, he broke away from Harry and simply looked at him. After a few seconds, Sirius then stood up and said, "Well, I better be going and let you sleep. I'll let Dumbledore know about your decision."

"Okay," said Harry, looking up at Sirius.

Harry pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. As he watched Sirius walk back to the door, doubt began to sink in. Everything that was on Harry's mind before Sirius walked in came flooding back and began freaking Harry out.

Sirius had now opened the door and was about to walk out when Harry's voice yelled from behind, "Sirius?!"

Sirius stepped back, closed the door, and turned around to gaze at Harry. Upon his face, Sirius saw fear and worry, two things that he knew were not natural for his godson. Walking away from the door a little, Sirius asked, "What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry just stared at Sirius. He could not find the words that he wanted to say. Indeed, Harry stammered around, trying to find the right words. After a few moments, Harry found them.

"Sirius, what if I can't beat Voldemort? What can I possibly do that'll defeat someone with greater power than me?"

Sirius continued to just stare at Harry. He looked into his eyes, finding more fear and anxiety. Obliging to the imploring look on Harry's face, Sirius said, "Okay, first of all, who are you and what have you done with my godson? Because my godson would never talk like that. And secondly…"

Sirius then walked back to Harry's bedside and sat down. Harry still had his arms wrapped around his legs. His face was down, in shame after what Sirius had said. However, Sirius reached out his hands, grabbed Harry's face, and lifted it up so that he was staring at him, and gently said, "You can do this, Harry. You can fight Voldemort. You have something that he doesn't have."

"Like what?" asked Harry, confused.

"You have something to fight for. And, you have me, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, the Weasleys, and a whole bunch of other people who care about you and want to help you."

Harry looked into Sirius's eyes. He then smiled and finally said, "Thanks, Sirius. I feel a little better."

Sirius smiled at his godson and removed his hands from his face. He stood back up and then said, "Now, go to sleep. You need it. I'll see you later."

Sirius then turned and walked back to the door. Opening it, he looked back at Harry, waved, and then left. As the door closed, Harry stared at the space where Sirius stood. Then, fatigue hitting him, he let go of his legs, stretched out on his bed, and put his head on his pillow. Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes and finally fell asleep.


	4. Love and Friendship

**A/N: Hello everyone! Here is another installment that I hope you enjoy. **

**BTW, I am now in the middle of working on the 8th chapter, which is entitled "Vigilance". Hope that whets your appetites a little bit :)**

Ch. 4

"Love and Friendship"

Harry stood at the edge of the rail of the Astronomy Tower. With both arms folded and laying on the rail, Harry gazed out upon the world. It was nearing nightfall, and the sun was beginning its descent. As Harry stared, the sun lit the sky up, coloring its blue with pink and orange streaks. Harry then turned his eyes to the lake and watched as the sun's rays danced upon the surface of the water. At the edge, there were students lounging on the grass, near the beech tree that he, Ron, and Hermione sat frequently. There were students near the water's edge, flicking water in each other's faces. Harry looked down at them all and smiled. He wished that that could be him, lounging around, enjoying the sun and water, talking with Ron and Hermione. He wished he could be one of those people down there, carefree, not having a worry at all. Harry turned away from the lake, seeing the sun now at the mountain's top.

Everything was so quiet and peaceful. He could hear himself think. Think on the fact that one day, he might die and cease to live. Think on the fact that he had lived so little and yet experienced so much heartache and torment. Harry continued to stare out, looking at all the happy people. He wished that he could be happy for once; to have everything that he wanted. But, the one thing that he wanted most at that moment, he knew, was out of his reach: his parents, especially his dad.

Harry shifted his arms, pulling himself up straight with his hands clutching the rail. At that moment, a gust of wind blew in Harry's face, causing him to close his eyes and breath in. Once it was over, Harry opened his eyes and said, "I miss you Dad. I need you."

Suddenly, tears began to fall down Harry's face. He lowered his head and sniffed. For the next few moments, Harry cried, wanting so much to talk to James. Harry continued to cry, and then a hand laid itself upon Harry's shoulder. Startled, Harry jumped, thinking he was the only one up here. He turned around to see who it was, and there, standing behind him, was Dumbledore. Harry quickly wiped away his tears, and then said, "Sorry, professor. I know I shouldn't be up here."

Taking his hand away from his shoulder, Dumbledore moved beside Harry. He stared into the expanse for a moment, breathing in the air. Then, he turned to Harry and said, "It is quite alright, Harry. I too come up here from time to time to think and, more often than not, to cry. This is, perhaps, the best place to simply get away."

Harry smiled at this, for that was exactly why he was there. Ever since he got back from the Ministry, people have bombarded him with questions of what happened and requests to retell his latest adventure. They would stalk him in the corridors, in the Great Hall, and even in the bathroom! He just couldn't escape, until now.

"Yeah, this is a good place to think. I just needed to let everything sink in, you know? I mean, I couldn't do that anywhere else."

"I know what you mean, Harry. For me, I just need to clear my mind. Other times, it's just to succumb to grief," said Dumbledore, looking at Harry as he said this.

Harry, at that moment, knew instantly what Dumbledore meant. He had heard him say that he missed James. Feeling a bit awkward, Harry shifted his hold on the rail. Still facing the sky, Harry then said, "I just miss him. And mum. I just want to be able to talk to him about Voldemort and possibly dying. I've talked to Sirius, but it isn't the same. I want my dad. I want him to tell me that it's going to be all right. I want him to tell me that I can fight Voldemort."

Harry hung his head, a tear falling onto the ledge. Dumbledore placed his hand on Harry's shoulder again and simply looked out to the horizon. For a few minutes, both stood like this, silent. The sun was now halfway covered by the mountains, the lamps in the tower now giving off light. Both stood silent a few minutes longer, and then Dumbledore said, "Harry, you do have your father with you. He's inside you. All you have to do is listen because he is telling you that you can fight."

"But how? How do I? Sirius said that I have something to fight for. But, what is it? What do I have to fight for?"

"Harry, do you remember the part of the prophecy that said the one that would vanquish Voldemort would have power that he does not know?"

Harry nodded, although a little confused. What power? He knew that he didn't have any special powers that matched Voldemort.

"Well," Dumbledore continued, "the power, Harry, that the prophecy refers to is love. You have the power to love, Harry. That is what makes you significantly different from Voldemort. You can love. That is what you are fighting for. The love you have for your friends, the love you have for Sirius, and the love that your mother and father had for you when they gave up their lives to save you."

Harry continued to stare at Dumbledore, simply taking in what he said. Finally, he nodded in understanding and looked back out to the now twilit sky. Tears were still streaming down his face, but he quickly wiped those away.

Dumbledore looked away at the darkening sky, and then said, "I think, Harry, it is time for bed. You'll want to be rested for the trip back to London tomorrow."

Harry looked at Dumbledore one last time. "Okay, Professor. Good night."

"Good night, Harry," replied Dumbledore.

Harry turned his feet away from the railing and walked to the door. Before he left, he turned his head and stared at Dumbledore, who was now staring at the starry sky. After a moment, Harry turned away, opened the door to the stairs downward, and left the Tower.

* * *

The next morning found Harry in his dormitory packing. Between all the stalking that people have taken to and trying to find a quiet place to think, Harry had completely forgotten to pack his trunk. Forgoing breakfast, Harry was now in the process of packing his books into the trunk that was lying on his bed. As he did so, the conversation that he had with Dumbledore the previous night played out in his head. _"Dumbledore was right,"_ he thought. He knew he had his dad with him, every day, and he knew that he could fight Voldemort. He knew that no matter what happened there would be people beside him, namely Sirius, Ron, and Hermione.

As Harry continued to pack, the door to the dormitory opened. Standing on the threshold, Ron simply looked at Harry, holding out a muffin in the process.

"Brought you a muffin. In case you were hungry." said Ron.

Harry smiled at his best friend. Once Ron made it to the bed, Harry took the muffin and began eating it, piece by piece. Ron sat down next to Harry's trunk, staring at his best friend. After a few minutes of silence and staring, Ron finally asked, "Harry what's going on? You've been avoiding me and Hermione since we returned from the Ministry."

Harry was taken aback by Ron's words. However, Harry knew that Ron was right about one thing. He had been avoiding both of them when they got back from the Ministry. It wasn't intentional that Harry had avoided them; he just didn't know how to tell them everything that Dumbledore said. Harry stared down at the muffin, ready to tear another piece off to eat.

Adamant to receive an answer, Ron asked, while keeping his eyes on his best friend, "What's up?"

Harry tore the piece of muffin he was holding off, ate it, and continued until the muffin was gone. He wiped his hands on his jeans and walked over to where Ron was on his bed. Sitting down, he looked into his best friend's eyes, searching for a way to tell him. Alas, though, words could not come. He opened his mouth, thinking that words might spontaneously come out. But, he still could not think of any. Harry closed his mouth and looked away from Ron.

How could he tell his best friend that he might die sometime soon?

After a few more minutes, words finally came to Harry's mouth. "I might die when I go to fight Voldemort. The prophecy, the one I heard in Dumbledore's office the morning after, said that _"Neither can live while the other survives"_. It either has to be me who wins, or Voldemort."

Ron couldn't move. He didn't know what to say. All he felt was the sinking feeling of his stomach. His best friend? Die? How could that be? Ron opened his mouth, trying to say something but fell short. Noticing this, Harry smiled at his best friend, realizing that they were more alike than they knew.

"Yeah. I had the same reaction when Dumbledore told me."

"Wha-How?" said Ron finally, turning to look at Harry, with a sad face.

"Geeeez, if you've reacted this badly, I don't know how Hermione's gonna take it."

Suddenly, Ron's face brightened. "Oh, you know her. She'll be crying buckets all the way back to London," he chuckled, imagining the look on Hermione's face.

Harry laughed at this. He could always count on Ron to make him laugh. Ron noticed Harry laughing, put his arm around Harry's shoulder, and said, "_You_ are not going anywhere. Neither am I, or Hermione. All three of us are going to stay together."

Harry smiled widely at Ron's words. Now he definitely knew that Dumbledore was right. He does have something to fight for: love and friendship. Harry got up and continued to pack. Ron got up after him, headed to the door, and opened it. Turning around to look at Harry, he said, "See ya downstairs, mate."

Harry looked up from what he was holding and said, "Okay, Ron. I'll be along in a minute."

Ron nodded and walked out, allowing the door to shut behind him. With just a few more items, Harry hurried to finish. He wanted to spend as much time with Ron and Hermione as he could before the summer of misery at the Dursleys. Once the final item was placed into the trunk, Harry shut the lid, made it mobile, grabbed Hedwig's cage (no Hedwig in it), and left the dormitory.

* * *

The train sped through the countryside, nearing London. It was almost noon, and Harry began to feel depressed. He didn't want to leave Ron and Hermione. He didn't want to go back to the Dursleys. He tried with all his might to forget about what lay ahead. Instead, he focused on the conversation that Ron and Hermione were having. He had been right on how Hermione would take the news about him possibly dying at Voldemort's hand. When Harry told her, Hermione simply burst into tears, hugging Harry for what felt like an eternity. After what was only about three minutes, Hermione calmed down. But, to Harry's dismay, Hermione cried again when the lunch trolley came around. Now, seeing his best friends going back and forth in conversation with each other, Harry smiled to himself. He may not be normal, but he sure had a pretty good life.

They were now on the outskirts of London. All three of them changed out of their Hogwarts robes and into their Muggle clothes. Soon after that, the train began to slow down as they reached Platform 9 ¾. Harry 's heart continued to plummet, knowing that the time was here. For two months, Harry wouldn't be able to see his best friends.

When the train finally came to a halt, everyone proceeded to file off of the train. Once Harry grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage, he followed the rest of the Weasley clan and Hermione to the gate to King's Cross Station and crossed the barrier. Once they had all crossed, the search for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley began. Harry began searching for another group of people; people who definitely would look as if they did not, under any circumstances, want to be standing in the middle of a crowded station, waiting hand and foot for someone who they despised anyways. Harry continued looking until he found the three people who had never made him feel like a part of their family: the Dursleys. His heart sunk further, as the thought of spending his summer with them crossed his mind once again. But, he did not have to think on it too much as Ron yelled, "Harry! We're over here!"

Harry came out of his reverie, shook his head, and followed the voice of his best friend. Once he reached the point of where they were, Harry looked around at them all, confused. All of them, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, and Hermione, were looking at him with smiles clear across their faces. Harry began to feel just a little scared.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" asked Harry.

In no time at all, Harry received his answer. Indeed, as soon as Harry asked the question, another voice rang out. "Hey, Prongslet."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley moved aside, revealing behind them Sirius. Harry dropped his trunk and Hedwig's cage and ran towards Sirius, jumping into his arms. A grin spread across his face, Harry held onto Sirius for a few minutes. Finally pulling away, Sirius then said, "I wanted to see you before you left with _them_ for the summer."

Sirius went to grab Harry's trunk and Hedwig while Harry said good-bye. Going over to Ron, he hugged him and said, "See ya, Ron."

"See ya soon, mate." Ron replied.

Harry then turned to Hermione, who almost knocked him down when hugging him. "Be careful, Harry. Stay safe. And write."

"I will, Hermione. Promise," said Harry, pulling away from Hermione and giving her a smile. Hermione wiped her tears as Harry turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"See you, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."

Both hugged Harry and said together, "See you soon, Harry."

Harry let go and joined Sirius. He gave Harry a smile, and they walked over to where the Dursley's stood. Vernon and Petunia Dursley stood in such a manner that made them feel higher and more important than everyone else. They believed that hugging in public was inappropriate, and therefore, disgusted by what they just saw. Dudley, on the other hand, whimpered behind his mother, not wanting anything else bad to happen to him.

When they approached the Dursleys, Sirius put down Harry's things and walked right in front of Vernon Dursley. Although he wouldn't show it, Mr. Dursley was scared.

"Hi. I'm Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Now, as I understand it from Harry, you have treated him very poorly for the last 14 years. Well, just so we're clear, if you harm my godson, or if I hear from Harry that you're treating him badly, you will have to answer to me, and believe me, I can be your worst nightmare."

Once Sirius finished, fear now made itself known on Vernon Dursley's face. Petunia simply looked flabbergasted to have been talked to like that in a very public manner. In short, anyone from the outside could clearly see that the fear of God had been instilled in the Dursleys.

Trying to hold in his laughter, Harry simply beamed at his godfather. Sirius turned around to face Harry, giving the Dursleys the chance to move away a little. Seeing the smile on Harry, Sirius couldn't help but smile back.

"Now, if they give you any trouble, write to me. I want to know. And Dumbledore said that you can come to me later this summer, and we'll get the adoption done. Okay?"

"Okay," replied Harry, relieved that eventually he would be leaving the Dursleys and staying where he knew that he would be welcomed and loved.

Sirius walked over and pulled Harry into a hug. Squeezing him tightly, he then said, "I love you, Prongslet. I'll see you in two months."

"I love you too, Sirius," replied Harry.

Harry pulled away from Sirius. He grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage and began to follow the Dursleys. Before reaching the main entrance to King's Cross, however, Harry stopped in his tracks and looked back. Surrounding Sirius were all the Weasleys and Hermione, watching Harry leave. Harry smiled. He now realized that even though his parents were not there, he still had a family. He still had people who cared about him. He turned back around and continued to follow the Dursleys. That very thought, of people who cared about him, would be what would help him get through the miserable summer.


	5. Birthday Owls

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! To celebrate the beginning of 2014, I thought I would give you a new chapter to celebrate with! Enjoy!**

Ch.5

"Birthday Owls"

For the first time in two months, nighttime on Privet Drive was somewhat normal. Ever since the month of June, the weather had been dismal. Every other day and night was filled with rain and chilly cold, along with a fog so dense that no one could see very far into it. For two months, gloom spread itself over Privet Drive. And then tonight, the night of July 30th, the sky was clear, stars twinkling in the sky, the moon casting its light onto everything. The air was crisp, and a light breeze blew every now and then. Cars were parked in the driveways, with the occasional one coming in from the local bar. Lights in homes gradually went out as people headed to bed. All was quiet and peaceful on this very ordinary, very normal, suburban street.

However, one house in particular held no such claim to this normalcy or peace. At least not in one particular part of the house. Indeed, in the house marked 4, up in the second bedroom that formerly belonged to the owners' son, Dudley, was Harry Potter, who by all means was not normal in the slightest. Yes, if one looked at him, a person would just simply see that he was a normal, bespectacled, black-haired, 15 year old who needed something to eat. But, that was not the case. In fact, the one thing that set Harry apart from other people was the lightening-shaped scar on his forehead. Indeed, this scar held all of what Harry felt day in and day out: pain. Not just physical pain, but a pain that hits Harry constantly and has hit constantly for the last 15 years: grief.

Even now, as Harry lay in bed sleeping, the scar seared with pain. Tossing and turning, Harry clutched at it, wanting the pain to alleviate itself. It bothered him so much that the shouts coming from him could not be muffled.

"No! No, please! Dad, help me! He's going to kill me! Help!" screamed Harry.

Suddenly, Harry woke, springing up from his pillow. With beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, he panted heavily, lifting his hand to wipe the liquid away. The dream was over. The pain in his scar still lingered, but it was slowly fading away. Harry sat up for a couple of more minutes, then lifted the covers off of him, and stood up. In his blue shirt and red pajama pants, he stretched for what felt like 3 minutes. It would be awhile before he could go back to sleep. After stretching, Harry looked over to his alarm clock, seeing that it was now 11:00 pm. He then turned his eyes to what was left of the clock, which was closest to the bed. It was the picture of James and Lily dancing in front of the fountain. Harry bent down, picked it up, and looked at his mum and dad. Smiling up at him, Harry felt a tear fall down his face.

This was the pain that attacked Harry constantly. The pain that both his parents were murdered by Voldemort when all he wanted was Harry. The pain of Harry never knowing who they were and only hearing about them from Sirius or other people. The pain that Harry would never see them again. Those are the reasons why Harry teared up every time he looked at the picture. Before Harry put the picture back down on the nightstand, he uttered, "I miss you. Both of you. Especially you, Dad."

Harry looked into James' eyes in the picture. As if telling him that everything would be all right, Harry smiled back at his dad and then set the picture back down. With his hand back to his side, Harry walked over to Hedwig's cage. Seeing that she was not there, he went over to the window. Having sent her out the previous day, he figured she'd be back by this time. Regardless, Harry sat down at his desk, pulling towards him the front page of today's _Daily Prophet_, reading in big, bold letters:

"**Security Tightens at Hogwarts School"**

Harry's eyes scanned down the page, crossing the picture of Hogwarts that was taken from a distance. He continued down the page reading the accompanying story that was with the picture. Every now and then, he thought of Hogwarts and what made him happy within its walls. He thought of his four-poster up in Gryffindor Tower. He thought of Ron and Hermione, and all of his other friends. Oh, how he missed them! Then, his mind wondered to Sirius. He missed his godfather just as much. Why did Dumbledore make him return to Privet Drive? Why could he not have spent the summer at Grimmauld Place?

As Harry finished up the article, his eyes became heavy, and his head started to nod. Harry laid down the paper. Too tired to walk back to bed, Harry put his head down on his desk. Immediately, he was, once again, fast asleep.

* * *

Morning broke over the street of Privet Drive. Birds began to sing, and alarm clocks sounded. Cars that were sitting idle in their driveways roared to life as the various people who owned them went off to work. As the sun rose higher above the horizon, the sky went from a dark blue, to a lavender, and finally to a light blue, with streaks of orange and pink. No cloud was in the sky; it would certainly be a beautiful day. As men and women went off to work, others stirred and began to produce the delicious smells of bacon and coffee.

While most of the windows of Privet Drive were closed (many did not want others snooping into their lives), there was one window that had both parts opened to the outside. Inside, at the desk that faced the window, was a sleeping Harry with his glasses skewed on one part of his face. His head rested on his right arm while his left arm lay over the paper that he was reading the night before. With his mouth slightly open, Harry drooled upon a scratch sheet of paper, making a pool of saliva near his chin. When the sun pierced into the room, the light hit Harry straight in the face, causing him to stir only slightly to adjust himself on the desk.

All of a sudden, a loud knock was heard upon the door. Harry awoke, eyes half-closed to the sun, right arm shading his eyes. He wiped off the remaining drool that was on his chin and then ran his hand through his hair, trying in vain to flatten it out.

"Your aunt, Dudley, and I are going out! We won't be back until late this afternoon! Got it?!" yelled Vernon Dursley through the door.

Grabbing his glasses off the desk (for they had fallen when he woke up), he put them back on his face and then yelled back, "Yeah, sure! Fine! Whatever!"

Harry heard a grunt from behind the door, which in Vernon Dursley's language meant that he had heard Harry. Footsteps were heard walking away from the door and down the stairs. All three of the Dursleys then walked out of the house and to the car. Standing up, Harry leaned against his desk and peered out the window to see his Uncle Vernon start the engine through the windshield. With the engine turned over and the car now in reverse, they backed out of the driveway and drove out of Privet Drive.

With the Dursleys out of sight, Harry smiled to himself. He had the whole house to himself for the entire day. With the smile still plastered upon his face, Harry sat back down at his desk and pulled a piece of parchment and his quill towards him. He began writing:

Ron,

I have the whole house to myself today! The muggles are gone for the entire day!

Harry

When he was finished, Harry looked over to Hedwig's cage. It was empty. Turning back to the desk, he rolled up the letter to his best friend and tied it. When Hedwig got back, he would give the letter to her then to take to Ron. He placed the letter to the side and then stood up, walking over to his closet to figure out what he would wear for today. Before opening the wardrobe, Harry noticed the calendar he made earlier this summer to help him keep track of the days left until he returned to Hogwarts. He noticed that the day was July 31st. His birthday. His 16th birthday.

This made him smile all the more. For once, he did not have to deal with the Dursleys on his birthday. For once, in his 15 years, he could celebrate his birthday the way he wanted it and not as if his birthday were just some ordinary day. He stared at the calendar a moment longer; then, he opened the wardrobe and began looking for something to wear. Grabbing a shirt, he shut the door and went over to his dresser. He grabbed a pair of jeans and underwear, closed the drawer, and then threw everything in his hands upon his bed.

Harry then proceeded to take his pajamas off, leaving them on the floor, and wrapped his towel around his waist. Opening his bedroom door, he walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. A comforting, soothing hot shower was one of the things Harry loved besides Hogwarts and everyone in his life. When he was in the shower, he could think. He could get away from all his problems and just stand under the spray, letting all of it just wash off him.

When he was finished, Harry dried himself off and wrapped his towel back around him. Walking down the hallway, he felt the air hit his skin. A chill went up his spine as the air hit him. That was his least favorite thing, or at least one of them. He reached his room and walked in, finding that Hedwig was sitting on his desk with a letter in her mouth and a parcel tied to her leg. He smiled as soon as he saw her. Walking over, he took the letter from her mouth, letting her nibble affectionately on his finger.

"Hey, Hedwig. Where've you been? I've been worried." said Harry.

He patted her head and Hedwig stuck out her leg. Harry proceeded to untie the parcel. Once he got it untied, she went to her cage to eat a few pellets and drink some water. While Hedwig did this, Harry opened the letter to see who it was from.

Harry,

Happy Birthday! I hope Hedwig could get there in time. Me and my parents are in Spain at the moment. My father had a dental convention here and decided we should make a trip of it. I hope you like your birthday present. I will see you and Ron when I get back. Enjoy the day Harry! And stay out of trouble.

Hermione

Putting down the letter, Harry picked up the parcel that he had untied from Hedwig's leg. He opened it up, and in it was a copy of "International Quidditch Teams". Harry's eyes opened widely at the present Hermione gave him. He perused through it while standing there and found that it had all the Quidditch teams from around the world and about them. He closed the book and simply looked at it. He then uttered, with a smile, "Thanks, Hermione."

He placed the book upon his desk and saw the letter to Ron that he had written. Harry picked it up and walked over to Hedwig. She had finished eating and drinking. When Harry approached her, she looked up at her master, walking out of the cage. With the letter in his hands, Harry lifted it so that Hedwig could see what it was.

"I want you to take this to Ron. Okay?" asked Harry.

In response, Hedwig walked forward some more and opened her mouth. Harry placed the letter in her beak. Once it was secured, Hedwig turned around and flew out the window in the direction of the Burrow. Harry watched as Hedwig flew away into the rising sun. Once she was gone, he took off his towel, laid it on the floor, and walked over to his bed. He put his underwear on and then his clothes. Fully dressed, he walked out of his bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen.

The Dursleys' kitchen was spotless. Never, in the 15 years that Harry had lived here, did he see even a speck on Aunt Petunia's counter. And if there was a speck, Aunt Petunia went crazy. Now, this wasn't just in the kitchen. Everywhere in the house, if there was even a speck of dust or dirt, Aunt Petunia went crazy over it and had to clean it up at that instant. When there was company, Aunt Petunia knew how people were and how they like to gossip about the trivial things such as a messy house.

Harry walked over to the cupboard and got out a bowl for cereal. In another cupboard, he retrieved his favorite cereal that Aunt Petunia still bought for Dudley even though Dudley hated it now. With the cereal and milk poured, Harry grabbed a spoon and sat down at the table where, in the past, on this day in particular, a deafening silence reigned. Walking over to the counter, he grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. He walked back to his cereal, sat down in the chair, and began to eat. For once, he could eat in peace and not feel like an outsider at the breakfast table.

With his left arm tucked under him and his right feeding him cereal, Harry stared at the television, watching a show that he didn't really care for but was forced to watch because nothing else was on. For 20 minutes, Harry remained like this: eyes on the T.V. while cereal was deposited into his mouth. At one point, the bowl was empty of cereal and milk. Harry put the spoon down and laid back in the chair. For a few more minutes, he continued to watch T.V. When the show he was watching ended, he turned it off, picked up his bowl, and walked over to the sink to clean things up.

_CRASH!_ Harry dropped the bowl filled with water and turned the faucet off. Drying his hands, he turned around to see what the commotion was about. Laying on the table, letter tied to his leg, was a tired Pigwidgeon. Harry quickly finished cleaning the bowl, put it back in the cupboard along with the spoon in its place, and walked over to the table.

Ron's pet owl lay sprawled out upon one of the placemats. He wasn't dead, Harry could tell, but the trip, as always, exhausted him. Harry reached down and untied the letter that was attached to Pig's leg. Once off, Harry ran out of the room and up the stairs to get Hedwig's water and some pellets for Pig to eat. Returning to the kitchen, he found that Pig was now upright again. Harry laid the water and pellets down in front of him, and Pig began to eat. While Pig ate, Harry grabbed the letter that he knew was from Ron and opened it up. It read:

Happy Birthday buddy! Hope the muggles aren't treating you badly. And I hope that Pig got there in time. He's been a little tired lately. Don't know why. Anyways, I can't wait to see you. I'll give you your present when I see you in a couple days. Have a great day Harry!

P.S. I need to tell you something when we do see each other.

See ya buddy,

Ron

Harry finished reading the letter and looked confused. See him in a couple days? What's all that about? He probably wouldn't be seeing anyone for a couple of weeks at least. Harry stood by the table contemplating what Ron meant. It was only when Pigwidgeon hooted that Harry came out of his trance. He looked down at the owl and saw that Pig had eaten all the pellets and drank most of the water. Pig then extended his wings once again and flew out the patio door.

Harry put down the letter and went to clean up the crumbs that Pig had left. Aunt Petunia would be very suspicious has to why crumbs were on her table. Having thrown the crumbs away, Harry went over to the couch, grabbed the remote off the coffee table, and threw himself down on the couch, turning on the television in the process. Since the Dursleys were out for the day, he had control of the television and remote. For the next few minutes, Harry spent flipping through channel after channel, program after program, searching for something decent to watch. Once he found something, he laid the remote on his stomach and tossed his arm behind his head. However, it wasn't that long after that his eyes began to grow heavy. Soon, he was sound asleep on the couch, in front of the T.V. What a way to spend his 16th birthday.

* * *

The day passed in quick succession. Harry was still asleep and the T.V. still on. With the remote on his stomach, it went up and down, following the steady breathing from Harry. Suddenly, a car was heard coming up the driveway, and an engine died down. Harry woke up immediately, turning his gaze to the clock on the mantle. It was 3 pm. Hearing a car door close, Harry bolted up, turned off the T.V., and went to grab his letter of the dining room table. Scanning his eyes around the kitchen and the table, Harry made sure that everything was in its place. He did not want to be yelled at later for using any of the things, least of all watching their television. Seeing that everything was good, he ran down the hall and up the stairs out of sight before the front door opened and Uncle Vernon entered the house.

Harry quietly made his way onto the landing, only a few feet away from his bedroom. He tip-toed the rest of the way to his room. Before he could put his foot over the threshold, however, a booming voice sounded from below.

"POTTER!"

Harry grimaced. He turned around, stuffing Ron's letter into his pocket. There was no need now to be silent upon the stairs. Harry walked down and into the living room to find Uncle Vernon standing over the couch, looking livid. When Harry entered the room, Uncle Vernon looked up, and Harry could see the vein in his forehead growing.

Uncle Vernon pointed to the remote on the couch and said, in calm anger, "What is this doing on the couch? This was not here when we left this morning."

Harry stared at the remote on the couch, thinking of what he could possibly say. Once he knew, he looked up into Uncle Vernon's face and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I've been…"

Uncle Vernon's face became scarlet red, the vein in his temple pulsating even more. Taking his finger away from the remote, he pointed it instead at Harry and yelled, "Don't you dare lie to my face! I know good and well that you were down here while we were gone! That remote was lying on the table when we left. The only person that was here was you."

Harry's anger began to boil. He couldn't believe that Uncle Vernon was getting upset over a stupid remote. Then again, this didn't surprise him that much.

"It's just a stupid remote. I'm sorry that I didn't put it back in its proper place. It won't happen again." said Harry.

Harry turned away, walking towards the door to the front hallway, hoping that was enough to satisfy his uncle. How wrong was he!

"You're damn right that this won't happen again! You are never to touch our stuff, not even once! We gave you Dudley's second bedroom out of kindness. Isn't that quite enough?!" yelled Uncle Vernon.

The boiling point on Harry's anger had now reached an all-time high. Harry turned back around with a look of bloody murder upon his face.

"Kindness? Kindness?! You didn't give me that bedroom out of kindness. You only gave it to me because you were afraid Dumbledore would do something terrible to you. You forced that bedroom on me!" screamed Harry.

The lights in number 4 Privet Drive at that moment flickered. Harry was angrier than he had ever been with Uncle Vernon. Never had they given him anything out of kindness. Everything that he had was always given to him because they didn't want him to stand out as different. They didn't want the fact that they had a wizard living in their house getting out.

"Well," said Uncle Vernon, calming down just a little, "if that's the way you feel, we can easily make other arrangements. We can just let you live in the cupboard again, no matter how big you are for it."

At this point, Harry's anger clearly showed upon his face. He walked right up to Uncle Vernon, getting into his face, and said, "Don't bother."

He turned right around once again and walked straight out of the sitting room. Reaching the front door, Harry wrenched the knob and opened the door. Once he was out of Number 4 Privet Drive, he slammed the door shut and walked quickly away from the house into the road.


	6. Not a Home

**A/N: Hello! Here is another installment for you! And, I will say this before you read, this chapter will be the last that you see of the Dursleys ever in my story. So, enjoy everyone! Also, thank you to all those who have favorited, followed, or sent a comment so far. I appreciate it :)**

Ch. 6

"Not a Home"

The sun drew nearer to the horizon once again. Night was drawing near. Harry walked upon the sidewalk away from Privet Drive. His anger still burning; his hands made into fists. As everyone outside stopped and stared at him, he continued walking, too consumed by anger and hate to let the world in. This was why he didn't want to return to Privet Drive. All he wanted was to spend his summer with Sirius. To get to know better the only family he had left. The Dursleys were not his family. They never treated him like he was. They pretended half the time that he was invisible.

Continuing down the sidewalk, Harry came upon the park that he often frequented when there was nothing to do, or he simply wanted to get away from the Dursleys. Coming upon the playground, he stopped and looked around. To his right, near the bushes that separated the park from someone's yard, a father pushed his son on the swing, while the boy laughed and yelled, "Higher, Daddy, higher!" Further into the park, Harry's eyes settled upon a metal carousel with a bunch of little children laughing and smiling as someone turned it faster. Near the back of the area, a group of parents were sitting with their kids in the sandbox, watching them make castles and figures and search for buried treasure.

Turning his head to the park benches, Harry saw a little girl with two pigtails hanging down her shoulders, crying. He looked from her eyes down to her knee, which was straightened out, and found that she had a cut on her knee. A lady knelt down in front of the little girl and put her knee upon hers. She began to then spray some medicine upon her knee, with the little girl wincing and jerking her knee back. The lady, who Harry assumed was the girl's mother, put a bandage across the cut, and put her daughter's knee back down on the ground. She stood up, threw away the paper from the bandage, and went back to her daughter. Kneeling down once more, the woman kissed her daughter on the forehead and Harry heard a distant "It's alright, sweetheart. Mummy made it all better."

A tear now streaming down his eye, Harry watched as the little girl jumped down from the bench and hugged her mother. After pulling away, they retrieved their things and left the park. Watching them leave, Harry realized that his anger had subsided and his fists had unclenched. He wiped the tear that was on his cheek away and began walking over to the park bench where the mother and daughter just were. Sitting down, he continued to look around at everyone in the park.

Time passed, and children played. Some were swinging, with the parent behind them pushing them even higher. Others were on the carousel, laughing and carrying on. Or, they were simply running around in a game of tag. Before Harry knew it, the sun was going down and people were beginning to leave. Mothers coaxed their children with the thought of dinner as they cried "I don't want to leave!" while others were simply too tired from all the fun to put up a fight. Soon the streetlights came on, and working mums and dads came home from work, their engines roaring in the driveway until they were shut off for another day.

Harry sat on the swing closest to the bench he was sitting on earlier (for he had moved at some point). With his hands on the chains holding up the seat, his feet slightly pushed off from the ground, gently swinging him back and forth. His eyes focused upon the dirty ground beneath him when he heard a voice off to the side.

"Harry?" asked the deep, low voice.

Harry startled out of his reverie and looked up to find Dumbledore standing a few feet away from him. With his half-moon spectacles halfway down his nose and his hands clasped together in front of him, Dumbledore stared down at Harry with a concerned look upon his face. Turning his head, Harry looked around him to see if anyone saw Dumbledore appear. When he saw that it was clear, he looked back up to his headmaster in surprise and wonder.

"Wha—What are doing here, Professor?" asked Harry, taken aback that the headmaster of Hogwarts was standing in a playground in a quite suburb.

"I am here because I found out that you left your aunt and uncle's house again." He stared at Harry for a few more seconds and then walked over to the accompanying swing and sat down.

Looking at what he was sitting on and at what was holding it up, Dumbledore then said, "Fascinating contraption. How do the muggles do it?"

Harry smiled at his headmaster, always amused at his amazement with the muggles. He continued to stare down at the ground, while Dumbledore examined the chains holding the seat. When he was finished, he looked at Harry and asked, "Harry, why did you leave the house? You know it is not safe for you to be out on your own."

The anger that Harry had felt earlier towards his uncle began to bubble up again. He grasped the chains very tightly and faced Dumbledore with an angry look on his face.

"They accused me of watching television while they were gone! Uncle Vernon got mad because I touched his remote. He said that I wasn't to touch any of their things ever again or he would put me back in the cupboard!" yelled Harry. He relaxed his grip on the chain and turned from Dumbledore, calming himself.

Silence ringed out between teacher and student. Harry soon realized what he had done. How could he yell at his headmaster like that? How could he let his anger get the better of him? Harry swung back and forth, head down in shame. He shouldn't have yelled, he knew, but he couldn't help it. He was angry. Angry at the Dursleys for treating him like a nobody, angry at Dumbledore for keeping him from Sirius all summer, and angry at Voldemort most of all.

Harry kept his head down to the ground, while Dumbledore simply stared into the space in front of them. After a few minutes, he then turned his head to look at Harry and uttered, "I have been wrong in keeping you away from where you truly want to be, Harry. I now know that they are not the family I had hoped they would be for you. And for that, I am deeply sorry."

At that point, Dumbledore stood up from the swing and walked out a few steps. Harry startled up, looking at his headmaster, wondering what he was doing. Dumbledore stared at the jungle gym nearby and then turned back upon the bespectacled boy. Seeing the puzzled look on Harry's face, Dumbledore smiled and simply said, "I think it is time that we make other arrangements for you, Harry. I think it is time that you left the Dursleys'."

A grin spread across Harry's face, the tips of his mouth reaching his ears. Those were words that Harry was glad to hear. He couldn't wait to get out of Privet Drive, away from the people that made the last 15 years of life miserable. He stood up, walked next to Dumbledore, and uttered, "What now?"

"Follow me." said Dumbledore.

He turned around and began walking away, towards the sidewalk heading the way Harry had come to the park. Harry fell in behind Dumbledore, and the two walked into darkness back to Number 4 Privet Drive.

* * *

A knock sounded upon the door. A voice, yelling "Who the bloody hell is calling at this hour?!" filled the front corridor of the house. With footsteps nearly shaking the house to its core, Vernon Dursley waddled into the front hall. His face was scrounged up in anger, the vein in his head fit to burst at any moment. It was too bad that there wasn't glass in the front door, thought Vernon. If there was, all he'd have to do was peer out of it at the front step and yell to the people to go away. But alas, there was not, and Vernon finally made his way to the door and wrenched it open.

Upon opening the door, the look of anger that had occupied Vernon Dursley's face had been wiped off, replaced by a look of surprise mixed in with fear. For indeed, the visitors that were standing upon the front stoop of Number 4 were Albus Dumbledore and, behind him, Harry. In the immediate seconds after, the three men simply stood and stared at one another. Mr. Dursley was not sure of how to proceed with a man like this upon his doorstep. For minutes, Dumbledore, Harry, and Uncle Vernon stood, letting the cold air from the air conditioning escape, until Dumbledore finally broke the silence.

"Good evening, Vernon. It is nice to meet you. While we could carry on our business here at the door, it is not wise to do so in the current state of the world. So, permit me if I may, I am going to walk in now."

Without saying another word, Dumbledore stepped over the threshold into Number 4, Harry on his heel. Vernon, out of fear that something might happen, obliged and stepped out of Dumbledore's way. When both men were safely inside and the door was finally shut, Dumbledore turned to Harry, put his hand upon his shoulder, and said, "Harry, why don't you go up and pack all of your things while I have a chat with your aunt and uncle?"

Harry nodded, looking at Uncle Vernon who was not happy in the slightest, and quietly uttered, "Okay."

Halfway up the stairs, Harry's footsteps sounded and brought Petunia into the hall. Watching Harry go up and then turning to see the headmaster standing next to her husband, the look on Petunia's face turned to one of sheer horror. Leaning on the wall slightly, trying to grab something, Petunia attempted to catch her breath and figure out why the man she had seen so many years ago was back again. Turning to Petunia, Dumbledore simply smiled and gave a small nod of acknowledgement, walking into the house and into the living room.

With an incredulous look upon his face, Uncle Vernon finally broke the silence and said, rather loudly, "Excuse me sir, what do you think you are doing?"

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and turned to face Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Upon seeing the small stick of wood, both Vernon and Petunia cowered in fear, afraid of what was coming. Dumbledore brought his wand back, ready to cast, fear etched upon their faces. However, instead of something bad, Dumbledore flicked his wand, and an elegant armchair appeared out of nowhere. Putting his wand away, Dumbledore walked over to the chair and sat down, making himself comfortable. The looks on Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's faces were now riddled with puzzlement, unsure of what just happened. Seeing this, Dumbledore looked up at both of them and said, "Sit. We need to talk."

Vernon and Petunia turned to each other, scared out of their mind. They were not sure what this man was going to do them, or what he could possibly want with them. They took their seats upon the couch, facing Dumbledore, who in turn was blocking the television. Petunia folded her hands in her lap, looking down onto the floor, afraid to look at Dumbledore in the face. Vernon, on the contrary, tried to act intimidating to the old man. Folding his arms across his chest, he sat up straight on the couch and put on the most indignant look he could muster. Whatever this man said, he was not going to give him an inch.

With both now sitting, Dumbledore sat up, crossed his legs, and placed his arms on the rest in front of him. He stared at the two adults for a few minutes, the only sound being the ticking of the clock on the mantle. Finally, Dumbledore brought his hands back and rested them upon his lap. He then said: "Fifteen years ago, to this date precisely, I placed a baby upon your doorstep. With that little baby, I also left a letter, explaining everything of who this baby was and what had happened to him. I asked you then to take this baby in, to make him a part of your family. Over the years, I have watched this house and watched the people inside it treating that little boy as if he were an outsider. I have watched you beat him, abuse him with words, and tell him that he was nothing. I have watched you allow your son bully this child that I placed in your care. Both you and your wife have not treated him as if he was your son also. If he were like a son to you, he would not have been given the cupboard under the stairs for 10 years. I admit that I regret leaving that child, who is now upstairs packing his things, with a group of muggles like yourself. This was never a home to him, and you made no effort to try and make a suitable home for him."

At this last statement of Dumbledore's, Uncle Vernon jumped up from the couch, his face red hot with anger. The vein in his forehead was so close to bursting that it was clearly visible. Pointing his index finger at Dumbledore, he said in a subdued voice, "Not a home?! How dare you come in here and tell us that our home was never enough for him. We gave him a bed. We gave him our food. We gave him Dudley's old clothes."

"Not out of love. You didn't give Harry any of that because you loved him. You gave it to him because you had to. You gave it all out of fear and obligation. That is not what a home is all about." replied Dumbledore, still sitting in his chair, staring down Uncle Vernon, who was still standing with his finger pointed at Dumbledore, face still red.

Staring at Dumbledore a minute longer, Vernon lowered his finger at the man and sat back down, as if some magic was pushing him. Dumbledore sat up straighter, his arms back on the rests, and continued, "There are people who care deeply about Harry and his well-being, one of them being me. The other is the one that he will be staying with from here on out, his godfather, Sirius Black."

Vernon burst out laughing. He slapped his hand on his knee, and with his other hand, grabbed his chest in an attempt to gain control of his breathing again. Calming down, Vernon Dursley finally said, "A murderer? You're going to send that mutt to a murderer?"

"For your information, Mr. Dursley, Sirius is not a murderer. He is the closest thing Harry has to family, excluding you. He will be going to Sirius, never returning here to this house ever again." said Dumbledore.

All laughter left Vernon Dursley at once. He sat back on the couch with a dumbfounded look upon his face. Petunia, on the other hand, still had her hands in her lap, looking at the floor. She appeared to remain indifferent to the fact that the boy would not be here anymore. But, deep down in her eyes, there was sadness in Petunia Dursley. Why? Not even she knew the answer as to why she was feeling this way. To the contrary, she never gave any indication that she ever cared for Harry at all. The only interaction they ever had was her telling him to clean this or that or fixing breakfast without burning anything. Never had she felt anything towards her sisters' son. Except hate.

While the three of them sat in their respective spaces, the clock on the mantle chimed 11:00 pm. However, no one gave regard to it. Petunia continued to stare at the carpet, not moving a muscle. Vernon and Dumbledore sat quietly, staring each other, hoping that one of them would give in to the other. But every time, it was always Vernon who looked away. When Harry came down the stairs with his trunk into the sitting room, no one turned their head to acknowledge his presence. Only when he spoke did they finally startle.

"Professor, I have my stuff ready. What's going on?" asked Harry.

Turning away from Vernon Dursley, Dumbledore looked up at Harry from his seat and smiled. Seeing his things in the hallway beyond, he stood up from his seat, took out his wand again (for which both Dursleys cowered at once again), and the chair Dumbledore had sat on was gone. Walking over to Harry, he put his hand once again on Harry's shoulder and uttered, "Well, we will be going. Nice to meet you all once more."

Dumbledore walked into the hallway towards the door and opened it. Harry, who was still in the sitting room, remained silent as he stared at his aunt and uncle. He didn't know what to say. Did he say goodbye? Did he wish them a nice life? How does one say goodbye to people who never really welcomed you into their home? Bringing his hand up to his face, Harry gave a quick wave, said "Bye", and headed out of the sitting room into the hallway again. Catching Hedwig in his hand, he let Dumbledore magic his trunk out of the house. When Dumbledore stepped over the threshold, Harry followed, grabbing the knob on the door. Without looking back, he closed the door to Number 4, Privet Drive and followed Dumbledore to the end of the street.

Stopping at a streetlamp, Harry put Hedwig's cage down and turned to his headmaster. "Sir, where we going from here?"

Looking out into the street, Dumbledore replied, "Well, Harry, I am in need of your assistance."

Dumbledore turned around to face Harry, who now had a quizzical look upon his face. Him? What on earth did Dumbledore need him for? Dumbledore smiled at Harry's confusion and continued, "You see, Harry, I am once again in the position of having to find a new teacher for this term, and the man that I am trying to convince has proven to be somewhat difficult in persuading."

"Well, sir, where do I fit in? I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to convince him to come to Hogwarts sir." said Harry hesitantly. He hated to say no to his professor, least of all his headmaster, but truly, Harry was confused on how he might be able to accomplish this feat.

"Oh, Harry, I think you underestimate yourself. I know that you have the means to persuade this man we are going to see to come back to Hogwarts." replied Dumbledore with a smile.

"Come back? You mean, he's been to Hogwarts before?" asked Harry.

"Oh yes. Many, many years ago, Harry." explained Dumbledore.

"Well, what's stopping him, Professor? I mean, Hogwarts is the safest place I know." answered Harry.

Dumbledore simply smiled. He rested his hand upon Harry's shoulder and finally uttered, "And that is why I know you are the man for the job, Harry."

Dumbledore moved away from Harry and over to the edge of the street. He appeared to be looking for something or merely examining his surroundings. A few more seconds passed, and Dumbledore turned back, looking down at Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage, and pulled out his wand once more. With a flick of his wrist, Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage vanished into thin air.

"Professor! That was my trunk!" protested Harry.

"Don't worry, Harry. Your things are safe. I've sent them to where we're going after our appointment." explained Dumbledore.

"And where's that, sir?" asked Harry, unsure.

Looking straight into Harry's eyes, Dumbledore said, "To Grimmauld Place."

Harry's eyes widened and a smile grew upon his face. Yes, his things were indeed safe. He was finally going to the place where he wanted to be all summer. To be with the person that truly is the only family he has left: Sirius. Dumbledore smiled when Harry smiled, for he knew that those three words would give him peace of mind. Stowing his wand away, Dumbledore stood straight up and held out his right arm to Harry.

"Grab on, Harry. This is going to be a bumpy ride." said Dumbledore.

Harry walked over and grabbed Dumbledore by the arm. As soon as his fingers touched the old man's arm, there was a _POP!_ and both teacher and student had disappeared, bringing a dark figure from out of the shadows, searching for where they went.


	7. Courage or Cowardice?

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here is another installment. Hope you enjoy it :) BTW, I am now working on Ch.11, which I think you will like. **

Ch. 7

"Courage or Cowardice?"

The chimes of 9:00 pm echoed over the little town of Farthing. Birds that sat on the ledge of the clock tower flew into the night when the first chime sounded. Below the tower, all was quiet, except for the person coming out of the local bar and the subsequent raucous laughter spilling out from within. The stars in the clear night sky twinkled, and a shooting star made its way across the expanse.

_POP! _Two men suddenly appeared in front of the fountain that stood in the center of the town. While one stood quite balanced, the other swayed when his feet touched ground, threatening to fall into the fountain. With his arms flaying everywhere, Harry Potter tried to keep his balance. Before falling in, the other man, an older one with long, white hair and half-moon spectacles perched on his nose, caught Harry by the shoulder and stood him up straight, making sure that he was balanced.

Harry planted both feet firmly on the ground and gasped for breath. He looked around him at the empty streets, wondering where it was they were. For indeed, how they reached the town of Farthing was something not common to any of the townspeople. When Harry made no conclusion as to where they were, he then turned to Dumbledore for an answer.

"Professor, where are we? And did we just…" asked Harry.

"Yes, Harry, we have just Apparated to a little town known as Farthing." replied Dumbledore.

At these words, Harry's eyes widened. Not once since he had been in the wizarding world had he Apparated anywhere. The experience, however, did not exactly meet his expectations of what it was like to Apparate from place to place. Turning his head to gaze upon Harry, Dumbledore saw the look on his face and smiled.

"Not exactly what you were hoping?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, sir, I think I'd rather fly a broom, to be quite honest." said Harry.

Dumbledore laughed at this. He took a few steps forward. Turning all around him, Dumbledore searched for the way in which they needed to head. Harry heard him muttering under his breath from time to time directions someone had given him. When Dumbledore faced what appeared to be east, he looked back at Harry and drawing his wand, said, "Follow me, Harry. And keep your wand at the ready. We don't know what might be lurking about, ready to jump out and attack us."

Obediently, Harry drew his wand and began following Dumbledore closely from behind. They walked down a street, past various shops and businesses. Harry turned his head from side to side every now and then, making sure that nothing was going to attack them. As he kept watch from behind, he began to think about what he had been reading in the _Daily Prophet_ each day and what the Ministry had sent to him two months ago. Ever since that night at the Ministry, when everyone saw Voldemort, fear began to spread across the land within many witches and wizards. Harry read about people buying certain items to protect themselves and people keeping their children inside at all times. And then, Harry remembered the headline from the day before: SECURITY TIGHTENS AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL.

Every time he thought about this, his stomach twisted and turned into knots. The very thought that his beloved Hogwarts, the place that had been his home, had to take protective measures worried Harry to no end. He knew that with Dumbledore Voldemort could not touch him. But the fact that Hogwarts has tightened security made Harry think otherwise. He walked a little bit faster, falling in step with Dumbledore. With his wand in front of him, he looked at his headmaster.

"Sir, I saw in the _Daily Prophet_ yesterday that Hogwarts' security has been tightened." said Harry.

"Yes, Harry, it has. Parents want peace of mind that the school will be safe when their children travel to it come September. And, these days Harry, I cannot protect the school all by myself." explained Dumbledore.

Harry looked at Dumbledore, a bit confused. What did he mean by "these days"? Why can't Dumbledore protect the school all on his own? He is the one whom Voldemort had always feared. But, then again, as Harry gazed at the old man, he noticed that his right hand was black and withered. Not only that, but he noticed that Dumbledore was not his happy, bubbly self. To Harry, he looked more exhausted and worn-out than anything.

They continued walking after that for a few more minutes. Every so often, Harry would look over and steal a glance at Dumbledore's withered hand. Why was it so black? What kind of sickness would turn your hand black? With all these questions piling and no answers, Harry sighed and began to ask.

"Sir, what happened to your hand?" asked Harry quite hesitantly.

"Ahhh, Harry, I would love to tell you that most interesting story. Indeed, it is quite the story. However, we need to focus on how we are to convince my dear old friend to come back to Hogwarts, considering he does not know that we are coming." replied Dumbledore.

They walked a few more miles, turning streets and up hills. Finally, they turned onto a street with a row of houses on both sides. Each one had, for the night, turned off their front lamps and lights inside. There was one house, however, in the distance with its front lamp and lights still on.

* * *

Harry and Dumbledore walked straight towards the house with all the lights still on. Upon approaching the front gate, a feeling began to rise within Harry. An unsettling feeling. With his hand upon the iron gate, Harry turned his head back to stare out into the road of the long street of houses. For some reason, he had the feeling that both him and Dumbledore were being watched. That at any moment, someone might jump out at them and start attacking them. He continued walking behind Dumbledore to the door, but he stopped midway. He could not shake the feeling that someone was watching them.

"Sir, do you have the feeling that we're—asked Harry.

"Being watched?" replied Dumbledore, turning around and looking at Harry in the face. He saw the worried look plastered upon the boy and only gave a sad smile in return.

"Yes, Harry. I too feel that someone else is here with us. Someone not happy that we're visiting Horace Slughorn." said Dumbledore, his eyes looking in the peripheral for activity.

The look on Harry's face immediately went from worry and concern to that of confusion and puzzlement. Who was Horace Slughorn? And what did anyone want with him that they'd keep people away from him? He stared at Dumbledore, hoping that he would his puzzlement and give him an answer. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. Dumbledore turned back around and continued on up to the door. Harry followed suit as his professor knocked on the door.

From the moment that Dumbledore rang the doorbell to the door opening, Harry heard a myriad of noises outside and inside the simple house. He heard the crickets chirping, together and in song, while he also heard a rustle in the bushes nearby that caused him to turn his head suddenly to the source of the noise. When Dumbledore touched his arm, however, he knew that he should look back and focus upon the task in front of him. With his head turned back, he heard a voice from within. A voice that belonged to a man who did not and would take nonsense, but a voice of a man who also held a dark secret.

Footsteps were heard upon the stairs and a voice saying, "What on earth? Who would be here at this hour?" The man was heard reaching the bottom of the stairs and soon enough the door opened to reveal a very rotund and small man. With graying hair and a mustache, the eyes of the man grew wide as Dumbledore gave a simple smile.

"Albus, what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you." said the man, quite shocked.

"Precisely, Horace. You didn't think I was going to announce my visit and let you concoct some plan to get me to go away, did you? Horace, I know you better that." said Dumbledore.

The man sputtered, trying to find words to form a rebuttal to that response. But words did not come. The smile upon the headmaster's face grew wider as he gestured toward the man and said, "Harry, this is Horace Slughorn, one of my oldest friends and retired teacher of Hogwarts. Now, Horace, would you kindly let us in, seeing as this is not the right place to have a conversation?"

Horace stared at Dumbledore for a minute longer and then stepped back by the door, gesturing for the two to come in. He closed the door and walked into the sitting room where Dumbledore and Harry were now standing by the couch. As soon as Horace laid eyes upon Harry, realization hit him square between the eyes.

"Wait a minute. This wouldn't be Harry Potter, now would it?" asked Horace, pointing to Harry.

"Yes it is, Horace." replied Dumbledore.

Slughorn stared at Harry with both eyes. From head to toe, he surveyed the boy and finally rested his eyes upon the scar that was in the middle of his forehead. He then looked away, as if trying to put some things together in his mind. All of a sudden, he looked up at Dumbledore with an agitated look upon his countenance.

"Albus, did you really think this would work? Bringing this boy along to try and convince me? Well, I'll tell you, you both can leave right now if that is the case because I am not budging!" exclaimed Slughorn.

"Horace, I was just invited into your home. Do you really think I would be so rude as to get to my point right now?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes fixed upon the rotund man.

The more Slughorn stared at Dumbledore, the more his angry composure began to soften. Maybe he wasn't here for that reason, he thought. In any case, he was being impolite and rude himself for blowing up at a guest in his home. With this in mind, Slughorn gestured to Harry and Dumbledore to sit down. Harry did, but Dumbledore remained standing.

"Horace, I need to use your facilities for a moment. Where would they be located?" asked Dumbledore.

Standing up once again, Horace pointed to where they had come in and said, "You take a left, down the hall, and a right. First door on the left." explained Slughorn.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll be back in a moment."

Dumbledore left the room with the smile still on his face. Having watched his old friend leave the room, Horace sat back down in his chair and stared at Harry. There was a deafening silence in the room. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking off of the clock as the minutes passed by. Horace sat back in his chair, while Harry sat straight up on the couch, hands in his lap. He tried to look everywhere but at the old man. However, he knew that the man's eyes were trained upon his scar. They always were when he met new people. Having had enough of the silence, Horace sat straight, put his hand on the armrest, and said, in bold tones, "You look a lot like your father James. Except for your eyes. Those eyes are so much like Lily's."

Harry's head jerked from someplace on the mantle to the old man. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Horace Slughorn knew his parents? Horace Slughorn knew James and Lily? If it was even possible, Harry sat even straighter now, listening intently to the man's every word.

"Sir?" asked Harry.

"You do. You look so much like them. They were my best students in their year at Hogwarts. Sirius would always complain that James spent more time in the potions classroom than with him. I'd imagine it wasn't because of actually studying but more to admire Lily." explained Horace, with a broad smile upon his face.

It was all Harry could do to keep the tears from streaming down his face. He loved to hear about his parents, but every time he did, it always reminded him that he would never really know them. Unbeknownst to him, he had a sad look on his face for which Slughorn caught onto. The smile upon his face turned that instant to one of sorrow.

"It was hard to hear of their murder. I don't think anyone of us ever thought that it would be them. I blamed myself for months. Convinced myself that I was the one who led him to kill the Potters." said Horace somberly.

Harry raised his head again (for he had lowered it to keep the tears from showing) with a look of confusion on his face. Why would Slughorn think it was his fault his parents were murdered? What was he talking about? Looking right at the old man now, Harry leaned in, wanting more, and asked, "Sir, what do you mean by that you were the one who killed them?"

Horace stared at Harry and suddenly realized what he had said. He nearly jumped out of his seat and away from Harry's stare. Right then, Harry knew that there was something much deeper there. Before Harry could ask what it was, however, Slughorn immediately changed the subject.

With his back turned towards the mantle, Slughorn said, in a more strong voice, "Don't think I don't know why Dumbledore has brought you here."

He turned around with a serious look. Having been thrown a 180, Harry didn't know how to reply. He simply sat there, flabbergasted, unsure of what to make of this sudden change in subject. He opened his mouth to say something, but Slughorn beat him to it.

"I know that Dumbledore brought you here to convince me to come back to Hogwarts. He has been trying to convince me since June. I mean, I have thought about it, given everything that's been going on." said Slughorn.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, unsure of what Slughorn meant by that.

"Oh, the Death Eaters have been after me. Ever since the debacle at the Ministry, Voldemort apparently has been trying to "secure" me. I told Dumbledore about it, of course, and that's when he suggested I come back to my old teaching post. I mean, it is very tempting, but I'm afraid that Hogwarts is becoming like everything else." explained Slughorn.

Now Harry was really confused. He was not sure what Slughorn meant by Hogwarts becoming like everything else. To him, Hogwarts had always been his safe place, his home.

"What are you saying about Hogwarts?" asked Harry.

The man looked at the now 16 year old with surprise. His eyes widened, and his face grew more serious. "My dear boy, haven't you read the _Daily Prophet?_ The security at Hogwarts has been tightened. Dumbledore wouldn't do that if he knew for certain that Hogwarts was safe, a stronghold. Which now, I'm afraid it isn't anymore."

"Yes it is," said Harry, standing up now. No one was going to talk about his home like this. "Hogwarts has always been safe. You know why? Because Dumbledore has always been headmaster. He has always been the one that Voldemort feared. As long as Dumbledore's around, nothing bad can happen to the school. You'd be the safest at Hogwarts."

At that moment, Dumbledore walked back in to the sitting room, smiling broadly at Harry. Harry turned his head from the old man to his headmaster. His face began to blush a deep red, knowing full well that Dumbledore had been standing on the other side, listening. Horace was still staring at Harry, shocked by the boy's sudden defensive line. Confused by what he had turned his head to, he too turned his head to find Dumbledore standing there.

"Albus? Have you been standing there this whole time?" asked Horace.

"Only for a few seconds, Horace. Just enough to hear what Harry said to you." said Dumbledore, smiling broadly.

This time, it was Horace's cheeks that turned bright red. Holding in his laughter, Dumbledore walked closer to Horace, peering intently into the man's face. When he was right up beside him, he said, "Well, Horace, I believe you have heard quite an argument from our young Harry. One that I don't think is easy to ignore."

Slughorn hesitated for words. He knew that Dumbledore, and Harry, were right. The argument Harry had made was one that could not be ignored or dismissed. However, before he could give an answer, a crash sounded from behind all three of them. All three drawing their wands, Horace and Dumbledore turned around to see what the commotion was all about. The front glass window that looked out onto the front lawn had been busted, shards of glass scattered everywhere upon the floor.

"Harry!" yelled Dumbledore, not taking his eye off of the window, "stay behind me and keep your wand high!"

Harry nodded and quickly ran behind Dumbledore. And not a moment too soon. For in an instant, three Death Eaters climbed through the window and began throwing curses at the three men. Immediately, they all locked in battle with the Death Eaters, Harry casting as many curses as he could from behind Dumbledore. However, Harry's hiding spot was found out as one Death Eater spotted him and immediately began throwing curses his way.

Without jumping out from behind Dumbledore, Harry did his best to ward off the Death Eater. But it was to no avail. The Death Eater threw a curse that knocked Harry on his back, wand out of his hand, unable to move. With Dumbledore and Slughorn occupied with the other two, the third Death Eater stepped closer to Harry and kicked him in the nose. Warm blood began pouring from Harry's nostrils. His arms by his sides, the blood dripped onto his cheeks and down onto the carpet. The man above him, with his mask still on, laughed hysterically and took off his mask in front of him. His blond hair fell down, and Harry realized that he had seen him before, at the Ministry.

Dolohov (the blond-haired Death Eater) pointed his wand directly at Harry's heart. Smiling maliciously, he kicked Harry in the side and then said, "Harry Potter. The Dark Lord has wanted you dead for some time now. Imagine his joy when he finds out that I killed him. Goodbye, mudblood lover!"

Dozens of people flashed before Harry's mind. He thought of Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Dumbledore, Lupin, Neville, Ginny, and all his other classmates from school. He then thought about his parents. About seeing them finally, face to face. However, before the man above him threw the curse to end his life, another curse hit him from behind, square in the back. The guy fell to the ground, on top of Harry, unconscious. He then saw Dumbledore standing over him, pushing Dolohov out of the way. Lifting the curse, Harry could move his arms and legs once again. He then felt warm tingle fix his nose and something wipe up the blood that was on his face. Dumbledore offered his hand to lift Harry up and he took it.

Standing up, he felt a little light-headed and grabbed his headmaster's shoulder. When he felt balanced, he let go of Dumbledore and asked, "What happened, professor?"

Dumbledore stared around the room, at the three men now lying on the ground unconscious, at the window now damaged. He looked over at Horace who was wiping bits of glass off of him and repairing little pieces of things.

"This, Harry, I think was the work of the people we felt watching us when we first arrived. I think that they were watching Horace, waiting to move in on him, and they were surprised to see us pop up out of nowhere." explained Dumbledore.

Horace looked up at the both of them and had a shocked look upon his face. "Well, they certainly had the element of surprise, that's for sure! Harry, are you okay?" said Slughorn.

Harry nodded, about to tuck his wand away into his pocket, when Dumbledore said, "No, Harry, keep it out. They're might be more. That's why we need to leave now."

He turned to face Horace, with a serious look on his face, and said, "Well, Horace, you have a choice to make: Will you come back to your old teaching post, where you know you will most certainly be safe, or are you going to try and fight Death Eaters again, which next time, won't be so easy? And remember this, it takes courage to admit that we're scared and need help."

Horace stared at his old friend, pondering what he just said. He looked around the sitting room and then at Harry. He saw the look upon his face, and right then, he knew the choice that he had to make. Dumbledore gazed at him a moment longer and then asked, "So, Horace, courage or cowardice? What is it going to be?"

Smiling, Horace said, "I'll see you the first of September."

Dumbledore smiled broadly and walked over to the man. He hugged his old friend and then turned back to Harry.

"Well, Harry, it is time for us to go. I imagine that Sirius is growing worried of where we are. Horace, I will see you in a months' time. I suggest that you cast protective charms around the house. Do you need any assistance in cleaning?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, Albus, I got it, but thank you." said Slughorn, smiling.

"Very well," said Dumbledore, walking back over to Harry and leading him to the door. Both walked back into the crisp, warm evening air, gazing up at the clear night sky. Walking back to the fountain, Dumbledore then uttered, "Let's get you to Grimmauld Place."

He held out his arm for Harry to grab. Harry smiled, happy that he finally was going to a place where he was wanted. He grabbed Dumbledore's arm, a _POP!_ resounded, and all was quiet once again in the town of Farthing.


End file.
